Animal-trap



(Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

H. B. *SWARTZ ANMAL TRAP.

@y '//mfA 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. B. SWARTZ.

. ANIMAL TRAP.l

110.257,904; `Patented vmy 1,6, 1882;v4 A

'Inf; 0

M25/@mirar Inv-@7715026 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j y

HIRAM B. SWARTZ, OF WOOSTER, OHIO.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,904, dated May 16, 1882.

Application filed February 6, 1882. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern: y Be it known that I, HIRAM B. SWARTZ, of Wooster, inthe county of Wayne and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Animal-Trap, of which the following is a specjlication. y

The object of my invention is to provide a selfsetting animal-trap operating in such a manner as to preserve the bait, and in the same movement whereby the animal is caught to reset itself automatically, and so be always ready to catch another. i, y

Self-Settim g anim al-traps, having a trap wheel or reel, constructed and operated in a manner somewhat similar, have been before used.

'My invention relates in part to an improvement in the construction and adjustment of the trap-wheel, whereby its movement is differently and better regulated than heretofore; and itfurtherrelates to an improvementin such traps, bythe additioniof certain other parts and devices connected with the trap-wheel, as hereinafter specified, wherebythe mouth ofthe trap is more quickly and perfectly closed and locked than in traps heretofore used; and it consists,

first, in constructing and adjusting the trap wheeler reel in such a manner as that,`after v each rowof spokes passes consecutively a short distance beyond a vertical position, the outer ends ofthe spokes enter corresponding grooves in the door of the trap-box, and as the trap wheel revolves they pass between alternating A fenders in the top of the box, the spokes being so arranged that the rst spoke of each row comes consecutively into contact with a swivel pivoted upon the door of the trap-box in line with the grooves, and so that the last set of spokes upon the axleconstitute arms or levers arrangedto come into contact consecutively withfthe devices for locking the trap-wheel and for elevating the tilting-board, as hereinafter described. y y

The trap wheel or reel as a specilic device is not claimed, exceptas to the parts and improvements thereof above indicated in combinationwith the other devices of the trap.

It consists,secondly, ofa device for stopping the trap-wheel at every quarter-.revolution thereof by means of a swivel with four arms rotating upon a pivot at one side of the door 0f the trap-box, in such a position as to engage the first spoke of each row as it comes to a vertical position across the entrance to the trapbox upon one of its arms, and at the same time the next succeeding arm comes into contact with an elevation attached to a treadle, whereby the swivel, and by it the trap-wheel, is arrested and held securely until the treadle is depressed by the weight of au animal upon it or by movement of the bait attached to a small lever," which bears upon the treadle, thereby disengaging the swivel, and at the same time the trap-wheel, to make another quarter-revo: lution.

It consists,thirdl y, of a device for lookin g the trap-wheel against an y backward movement by force ofthe animal within the trap, and also, by the same device, in connection with an arm or lever projecting from a tilting board situated in the trap-door at the entrance, to elevate suddenl y and holdup the outer side of said tiltingboard while the trap-wheel is turning aquarterrevolution, and then let it drop back into its original position, when the trap-wheel is again locked by the intersection of an arm extending from ythe axle and a swinging stop at the end of the trap, whichis a part of this device.

ln the accolnlianying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my improved animal-trap. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalseotion of the same, showing the operation ofthe parts which I claim as my invention.

In the drawings similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, and referring to them, A is an axle, whose gudgeons N N turn upon the upper edge ot the two sides,respect ively, of the trap-box B, at a distance from the extremity of the entrance end of the trap-box A uated, so that each set of four corresponding spokes will revolve in a common circle. The

axle A is secured in position by means of collars g g in such a manner as to be readily removed from the trap-box, thereby giving entrance to the trap-box B.

About midway between the lines of each two rows of spokes, at one end of the axle A, just inside the trap-box, project four short Spokes, c c2 c3 c4, which I call spokearms, curved in such a shape and ofsuch a length as to bear against the tilting arm a ofthe tilting board d, and also to reach and come in contact with the lower end of the swinging stop H, which vibrates upon the pivot e in the direction indicated by the arrow u, and is brought again into position over the spokearm c by the spring s at the side ofthe box, and limited in its backward movement by the stop z at its lower end. The tilting arm ct opcrates directly over the pivot o of the tilting board d, to which it is attached, and under the spoke-arm c, and is so constructed thatv its shoulder k ison a line perpendicular to the pivot o,I and distant from-it one-third the radins of the trapwheel. From the shoulder 7c it is curved obliquely back-ward, so that when it reaches the position at athe arc mf lc willy lie in the circle described by the spoke-arms cas the trap-wheel revolves.

The swinging stop H, above described, is pivoted againstk the end of one side of the nap-box atie', the upper part of the side being c u-t away, so asto bringthe swinging stop on aline perpendicular to the pivot o and the shoulder 7c, the pivot o being at a distance from the extreme end of the lower part ofthe trap-box equal to about tive-twelfths the ra-- dius of the triep-wheel, whichdistance is also the width of the tilting board d.'

,F is a row of wire fenders, which extend from the top of the trap-box horizontally to a point under the axle of the trap-wheel. These fenders are equidistant from each other and alternate with the spokes of the trap-wheel, so that the spokes will pass between them as the trap-wheel turns, leaving the top of the trapbox closed.

E is a swivel havingy four arms, P P2 P3 P4, Fig. 1, at right angles to cach other, respectively, and ofequal lengths, rotating upon a pivot, e, upon one side of the door of the trapbox, 'and situated at a dista-nce from a line drawn vertically from the center of the axle A equal to about one-fourth the radins of the trap-wheel, and so near the line of the circle described by thclirst spoke, D2, of each rowas to engage the same, respectively, upon one of .theV arms at P2, as near lthe pivot c as possible.

The trapfloor I is cut away near this point and itsupper edge grooved at the points 'v fv to correspond with and receive the ends of the spokes D, and thereby prevent them from heing-spread apart. Between this edge of the trap-Hoor and the tilting board d is placed a treadle, t, (which I do not claim,) hinged ato o and upheld by a spring, s. Upon the margin of this treadle is a stop, t', placed opposite the axis of thev swivel E, so as to engage the extremity of its arms P, respectively, as

the swivel revolves in the direction of the arrow 'a'.

T is a small lever to hang the bait upon. Its

`fulcrum isthe pivot c, placed near the margin ofthe treadle so that its short arm may rest thereon at h, Fig. 2.

` X is a fender, which stands in line with the downward row of spokes D2 and behind the lever T, to inclose the space at the side of the trap-box behind the hait.

R is the cord, which is wound around the `axle A by turning the same backward, which may be done by standing the trap upon the closed end of the trap-box and drawing aside the swinging stop H, when the parts will lso adjust themselves that the axle may be readily turned backward. The cord R passes over a pulley, y, at the closed end of the trap-box, and

to this cord the weight T is suspended which rotates the axle A.

The operation of my animal-trap is as follows:v Having wound up the weight'W by placing thetrap upon one end and turning the trap-wheel backward,as aforesaid, and having 'placed the bait upon the lever T, so as not' to interfere with the trap-wheel, the trap is ready ,for operation. -over the tilting board d, and as soon asit The animal enters the trap bears its weight upon the treadle t or interferes with the baitupon the levervl the treadle t is depressed, thereby disengaging from the stop t the extremity of the arm of the swivel-E,"

"Ihe s ioke'l)2 resses awainst the arm P2 and as soon as the arm Pl is free from the stop t the trap-wheel A and the swivel E each turn a quarter-revolution, when thc next .succeeding arm of the swivel is arrested upon the stop t', thereby holding the swivel, which' in turn arrests the next succeeding spoke of the trap-wheel, leaving the trap set as before. Before each successive movement of the trap.-

IOO

los

wheel the same stands with the full force of v the weight W tending to rotate it inwardly in the direction of the arrow L, Fig. 2. One row of spokes, D2, extends downward almost vertically and entirely across the. entranccto the trap-box B, withthe first spoke of the row bearing against the arm P2 of the swivel E Fig. 1. The next succeeding row of spokes, D,Fig.2, extends outward nearly horizontally IIO abovethe mouthv of the trap. The spoke-arm i shoulder m, and bears underneath the swing- 'C rests upon the tilting arm `a at the point or ing stop H,.which prevents any backward 'arm c, Fig. 2, presses the tilting arm a downward until both reach, respectively, the positions a c', thereby elevating the tilting board d to the position shown at d, where it isA held v until the spoke-arm, as shown at c', reaches the point m of the tilting arm, as shown at a", when it is again released and falls to its original `position as a part of the trap-door. The peculiar shape and curvature of the arms c and a, respectively, give greater leverage upon the tilting board d, as the trap-wheel A starts to revolve, and after the trap-wheel has revolved a short distance the extremity ot' the spoke-arm c engages the tilting arm a at the shoulderk, and brings the tilting board thereby suddenly intoposition with its outer edge elevated and held close to the ends of the spokes of the trap-wheel while they descend from a horizontal position, as aforesaid, thereby inclosing the mouth ot' the trap almost instantaneously, D" d, Fig. 2. The horizontal iow of spokes D having moved to the position of Dl and the tilting board d having been elevated to d, the mouth of thetrap is completely closed thereby. vAt the same time the vertical row of spokes Dz having moved upward to D and onward to D3,the animal is forced into the trap-box. Any backward movement of the trap-wheel is prevented after the horizontalrow of spokes reaches the point Dl by c having reached the point c, where it is locked against the arm a by corrugations upon its upper surface between ml" and lc. The arm c having thus performed its functions, the succeeding arm c2 at the same time passes downward along the inner side of the swinging stop H, and presses the same outwardly in the direction of the dotted linea unt-il it reachesthe lower end of the swinging stop, which then returns to its former pdsition over the spokearm, thereby locking the same against any backward movement ofthe trap-wheel by the force of the animal within the trap, and this movement may be repeated until the weight W is run down, when the same may be wound up again, as aforesaid.

No claim is made upon the device to rotate the trap-wheel.

Having thus described my invention,- I claim as my invention the various parts hereinafter specified, viz: y

l. The combination ot' the trap-wheel A with the spokes D, the ioor having the grooves fu, and the fenders F,when arranged to intercorrespond, the fender X, and the set of tir'stfour spokes, Dl D2 D3 D4,When arranged to intersect consecutively the swivel E, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination of the four spoke-arms c c2 c3 c4, extending from one end ot' the axle of the trapwheel at right angles to each other, respectively, the tilting arm a, with the tilting board d, all being shaped substantially as shown, and as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the four spoke-arms c c2 c3 c4 with the swinging stop H upon the pivot'c, operated and limited in its movement by the spring s and the stop z, substantiall y as and for the purpose specified.

4. The swivel E, having four arms, l? P2 P3 P4, at right angles to each other, respectively, and rotating upon a pivot, e", in connection with the stop t', which limits its movement, and the lever T, t'ulcrumed at e, and resting with its short arm upon the treadle t,substan tially as and for the purpose specified.

HIRAM B; SWVARTZ.

Witnesses: 

